On February 4, 2021, Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson announced that criminal charges have been brought against an Annapolis police officer. On February 3, 2021, Corporal Gwynne Tavel was criminally charged with misconduct in office. The charges come after a lengthy internal investigation and consultation with the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office.
[bctt tweet=”Annapolis Police assures residents that officers are here to protect and serve, and with this case, we have an officer who failed to live up to his oath of office. He will be held to account. -APD Chief Edward Jackson ” username=”eyeonannapolis”]
On July 22, 2020, Corporal Tavel’s supervisor discovered that he had closed several sexual assault and rape cases assigned to him without properly investigating the cases and without the requisite supervisor approval. Immediately upon recognizing the series of closed cases, the supervisor reported it to his superiors and an internal investigation was launched. Corporal Tavel’s police powers were suspended and he was placed on administrative duty. An internal investigation took place and resulted in sustained findings related to the improper investigations. All of the victims have been contacted and the cases reopened.
Since Chief Jackson’s appointment in 2019, internal procedures have been strengthened. “We found this internally. Annapolis Police assures residents that officers are here to protect and serve, and with this case, we have an officer who failed to live up to his oath of office,” Chief Jackson said. “He will be held to account.”
Corporal Tavel has been served with charging documents and will remain suspended from duty until the criminal proceedings are concluded. Corporal Tavel is represented by UFCW Local 400 who delivered the following statement:
“The UFCW Local 400 does not comment on open matters, involving our members. The Annapolis Police Department is an Accredited Police agency that adheres to the highest standards. Anytime we fall short of these high standards, it hurts everyone in our membership. These allegations do not reflect the hard working men and women of the Annapolis Police Department. We respectfully ask, that you keep in mind that these are only allegations and that you withhold judgement”.
